Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Mefisto Yellow’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Mefisto Yellow’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; and decorative-type inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray florets.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘MEFISTO YELLOW’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Mefisto Yellow’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mefisto Purple’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,896. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Mefisto Purple’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2011.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in February, 2012. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Mefisto Yellow’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Mefisto Yellow’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant         habit; vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray         florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the mutation parent, ‘Mefisto Purple’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are brighter green         in color than leaves of plants of ‘Mefisto Purple’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Mefisto Purple’ differ         in ray floret color as plants of ‘Mefisto Purple’ have red         purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Staviski Yellow’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,834. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Staviski Yellow’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger and         brighter green in color than leaves of plants of ‘Staviski         Yellow’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Staviski Yellow’.     -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more         fully decorative in form than inflorescences of plants of         ‘Staviski Yellow’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Mefisto Yellow’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer to late autumn under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mefisto Yellow’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of     Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Mefisto Purple’, disclosed in U.S. Plant     Pat. No. 21,896. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; very freely branching habit, about             25 primary lateral branches develop, each primary lateral             branch with multiple secondary branches; pinching enhances             lateral branch development; dense and full plant habit;             strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 40 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 60 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm             to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2 cm. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to             144A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm             to 5 cm. Width: About 1.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             137C. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137D. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137C; venation,             close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petioles: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper             surface: Close to 146C. Color, lower surface: Close to 146D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc             and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower mid-October in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about five weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter: About             7 mm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 144A and 137C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.5 cm. Disc diameter: About 1 mm. Receptacle             diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to             3 mm. Receptacle color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 1.3 cm to 2 cm. Width: About             7 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 200 arranged in about ten whorls.             Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 12A.             Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 12A; color             does not change with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 20. Color: Apex: Close             to 144C. Mid-section: Close to 5B. Base: Close to 145D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 4 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             8 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 146B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum grown under commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Mefisto Yellow’ as illustrated and described. 